The Juno spacecraft is fueled

The Juno spacecraft that will launch to Jupiter in August has finished refueling the hydrazine fuel that will be used for orbit corrections

Last week, the Juno spacecraft finished refueling the hydrazine fuel, loading the oxidizer, into the fuel tank, where the high pressure was also regulated. Juno's propulsion systems are currently ready for operation in space. The work on the spacecraft is carried out at Astrotech next to the launch facility, in Titusville, Florida.

Hydrazine is the fuel of choice for most space missions because of its stored energy. In space, the hydrazine will mix with the oxidizer to produce energy to propel the spacecraft. The process will take place during Juno's four planned maneuvers, at the end of which it should enter a stable orbit around Jupiter in 2016.

From the end of refueling, the spacecraft is 99% ready for its fascinating mission. As soon as the removal of the thermal blanket on the spacecraft is completed, and the "wet" rotation tests are completed (when the spacecraft's tanks are full of fuel), it will be possible to say that the spacecraft is ready to be loaded onto the Atlas 551 launch vehicle.

The Juno mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is part of the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena. The mission's principal investigator is Professor Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The June mission is part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Lockheed Martin is credited with building the spaceship. The mission launch management is the responsibility of the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Source of knowledge
for further reading